I requested a loaner laptop from Sites@Home one year back. It was mid-August so they gave me a Dell laptop from one of the new ones. It worked great but after a year, its battery degraded significantly. That was expected since I used it for gaming here and there along with academic and internship work. But when I took it back to Tech shop for battery replacement, they told me straightaway that they do not replace the battery and I need to use it with degraded battery. This happened in July. Fast forward to August end, fed up with poor battery backup, I returned it. But I needed a lightweight laptop given the one I have is a gaming one and is heavy. So I put a fresh request and went to the shop to pick up the new loaner laptop. This time the laptop they gave me had just 44% of battery health. The reason was that the laptops from new stock were already claimed. I was fine with that but just don't get it - What is the problem with battery replacement? It takes just 5 minutes to replace it and it is not glued to case like that of a MacBook. But they denied replacing the battery and giving loaner. Had to go back empty handed. If they can just order batteries for the laptops and replace them, it will save a lot of trouble for all. read more

Great student staff, very helpful and attentive, competent repairs. Apple prices are matched to retail ones.

Took my airpods pro in since the case didn't work. quick fix, just have to send it to apple and they'll send a new one back (apple says this process takes 3 days). almost a month in and finally the ticket was updated. now it's been over a month and i still do not have my airpods. read more

Cheapest and friendliest computer support and supply place. Probably because you get a huge discount for student, staff and faculty but what ev's - it's awesome! If you can use it, then go for it. Just remember, they are all students in there, so give them a break. Be nice to them and they will be nice to you. read more

I took my computer (Mac book) because it was not charging. They charged me $80 for the diagnostic. After 3 days they told me the repair will cost me $700. I almost fell to the floor. A new one was $1,190. I went to Apple at the Mall. They told me it was not charging becasue some debris went into the charging socket. They clean it and problem solved. Cost: zero Can't believe Computer Show Case is approved by the University. BIG HOAX read more

I purchased an Apple MacBook Pro for ~3000$ because the price was competitive. It was packed very poorly with the screen facing down on the box without any bubble wrap to support the laptop. I opened the box and the laptop was dead right out of the box. While they did exchange the laptop for a new piece at free of cost, they made it technically impossible for me to exchange the replacement for an upgraded model by suggesting a restocking fee of 10% (~300$). Apple never charges a restocking fee to any of its customers as per the 14-day return policy. Hence, I would not recommend buying your computer from here unless you want surprises. read more

Counterpoint to the five-star review: I took in my Macbook Pro with frayed power cord (a very common problem listed on Wikipedia and covered under a non-warranty replacement program). I was asked to plug it in and demonstrate that the cord did not work, which it didn't. Then the staff attempted to run a software diagnostic for about 30 minutes straight, and the diagnostic failed roughly ten times. I was told I should probably leave my laptop with them over the weekend so they could get the diagnostic program working properly. Left it with them, and they emailed me on Monday saying the diagnostic ran and the power cord passed with flying colors. So I trudged over in 8 degree weather to pick it up, tried it out, and it was just as broken as I'd remembered (didn't charge the laptop). Drove over to the Apple Store at Briarwood with no appointment, they took one (visual) look at the cord and gave me a brand new one. Of course, it's still a great place to buy things. I just won't be doing repairs there ever again. read more

Great service, cutting edge technology. Got that good good 22nd century vibe, with that good good 20th century hospitality

This review is for the repair side of the UM Computer Showcase. I brought a macbook here that the Apple store told me had $800 dollars worth of not under warranty water damage and they looked at it and told me there was no evidence of water damage. So it was repaired for $0 under warranty. read more

Oh, the Showcase. It delights and frustrates me in so many different ways. The selection is pretty "meh", generally speaking. They do carry a lot of software and have negotiated good contracts with Microsoft and others, so a lot of it is pretty darn affordable for students, faculty, and staff. That is a big plus in my book. (Note: You MUST be a UM student, faculty, or staff member with ID card to buy most stuff there.) Every once in a while they offer really competitive sales, usually clearances. As far as I know, all of their laptops (Apple and Dell only) come with an extended warranty standard, which does increase their cost some, but I have never regretted having the extra protection. They also offer payroll deduction, which for some people can be a helpful perk. Everything else is a minus. Case in point, I went to renew my SPSS license today and it turns out that to get the license (which comes by email), I have to buy a new media disc. They were sold out of media discs so they would not let me pay for a new license, even though I didn't need the disc and they have to email me either way. Then the kid working the desk says that they are getting more "this afternoon". I was there at 1:30 pm, so I was a little bit curious as to when their afternoon started. I also found it sort of humorous that he thought I would just kick around the Union until someone went and picked up the discs (that they burn themselves) and brought them over. Their solution (come back later) costs me time and gas and is completely environmentally unfriendly (Why should I have to get another CD when all I need is a code via email?). What really pushes my annoyance over the edge is that this is the EXACT SAME PROBLEM they had back in the early 2000s when I was a STUDENT. One would think that 10 years later, they would learn to anticipate the demand for licenses in the first week of school and, since they have the capacity to make as many as they need, accommodate it. Unfortunately not. Maybe I'm missing something about what they are allowed to do and what they aren't, but no one has ever put the effort into explaining the problem to me in full (or really at all, besides "we can't do that"). It's not just SPSS that causes me to rate two stars. The kids are, from what I can tell, mostly work study, and don't really know much about very much. They can't really answer any questions, make any decisions, or say very much besides, "I can ask my manager". By and large the products are overpriced and the selection is lacking. For instance, I almost bought an external hard drive there, but they only carried two brands and I could buy one with twice as much storage space (same brand) at Best Buy for substantially less. They do sell cheap keyboards and USB drives ($5, last time I checked) and some cables, but even those you can probably get from Monoprice or somewhere else online for about the same price if not less. If you happen to be a student at the U without a car (aka, a captive audience), this might be the best you can do without getting on the AATA bus to civilization. If you are anyone else... you may want to seriously consider other options, or at least be prepared for the inevitable annoyance that comes with shopping here. read more

A brief summary of my experience with Computer Showcase: -- Spilled soda on my keyboard, and accidentally broke one of the keys trying to clean it myself. -- Brought computer to get it repaired (de-stickied and the keyboard replaced); was told that it would be done in two days and three at the latest. -- After two days, having heard nothing, submitted online question form. Was sent autoreply email saying I'd hear back within four business hours. Never heard back, even after 60 business hours. -- Called Showcase three days after originally bringing computer in, was told that a part needed to be ordered and that it would be done within 24-48 hours. Was apologized to, we'll keep you updated, typical customer service platitudes. -- 48 hours having elapsed, called Showcase again. Was told there was a delay in the shipping of the part (it having been ordered), and that it couldn't be predicted when computer would be ready. Was apologized to, we'll keep you updated, etc. -- Came in a full week and a half after bringing it in, and was told that I could take my computer (still missing a key) but leave it in the queue, and when my part came in, I could bring it back. Well done Showcase, I was happy with this. -- Computer was not cleaned -- all of the keys were still sticky, often to the point of being unusable. -- Another week passes and there is still no word about my part, so I send another email message; this time it's actually replied to. I get a phone call from a manager in Tech Repair, and explain to him that it's been 2 and a half weeks for a repair I was originally told would last two days, and that neither part of the repair has been done -- even the part that I was told was done two weeks ago, and which the tech repair people specifically flagged as done. -- Person is very sorry, will do anything to help, blah blah, I'll get back to you soon. -- To his credit, actually does get back to me soon; in fact, as he explains, the part was never ordered because HP won't let the Computer Showcase order those parts! This is, apparently, despite the fact that I was told that the parts were ordered and in shipping *two weeks earlier*! In summary, Computer Showcase is extremely good at apologizing. They're not good at anything else. read more

This is a wonderful service provided by the University for staff and students. Their prices on software are ridiculously low and their computer prices are either equal to or less than the manufacturer price. Don't expect EVERYTHING to be cheaper than elsewhere because they are not contractually allowed to discount certain apple accessories. The employees are informative, helpful, and friendly and it should be noted that it is a university run business so they have to adhere to some university regulations and are only open to students, staff, and faculty. read more

Purchased a package (Dell laptop) for the fall semester for my daughter. Was handed an external drive and a Kanex Gigabit adapter. Also purchased a 4 year warranty. Asked about having computer preloaded with anti virus protection (as advertised in orientation) and was told no such service. I was told to load MSE antivirus when I returned home as that is what they support. The MSE website indicated that windows 8.1 used built in antivirus so none was needed. Called to confirm.....no answer. Left message for a return call. Nada. Tried to activate warranty but needed the serial number of the computer. Could not find it on box and receipt had 2 different numbers labeled S/N either of which could be the correct one. Called Showcase.....no answer. left message for a return call. Nada. Called warranty company and got it resolved. Since I was sold the Ethernet adapter I called to ask if in fact any ALL the rooms or if any had Ethernet.......no answer. Left message for a return call. Nada. They were very quick at the sell, provided misinformation and still show zero interest in follow-up. Did we save $ by using Computer Showcase?......not sure. Ethernet in the rooms? Guess we will find out on move in day. Argh!! read more